Tofalls (Tofu Balls)

Moosewood: my all-time favorite restaurant.  And I never get tired of it.  How is this possible, you may ask?  Because they change their menu.  Every.  Single.  Day.  Brilliant, I think.  My good friend and like-minded Moosewood-enthusiast raved to me about the restaurant's tofu balls and how easy and delicious they were to make at home.  I knew this was one recipe I definitely had to try during my winter break, and I finally got around to it...and I'm so glad I did.  These are quite flavorful (don't be skeptical, my tofu-hating-friends...tofu can have flavor!) and have a wonderfully crispy outside.  

I am not a vegetarian, but sometimes it's kind of fun to pretend in my head that I am because vegetarianism opens a whole new door of food discovery and creativity.  Let's be honest, no non-meat products/recipes will ever truly taste like or look like meat...nor should they.  Therefore, I will never claim that such things resemble meat in any way.  That being said, these tofu balls are nothing like meatballs...except for their cute spherical shape.  They are their own, unique item.  So far, I've eaten them by themselves, crumbled over some baby spinach, or in a soup (Kohlrabi soup, to be precise), and I imagine they would even serve quite nicely as a savory brunch item.  

Please don't poo-poo tofu if you've never tried it.  It can be bland if you don't dress it up, but it can be divine if you invite some spices and veggies to the party (...or the ball, perhaps?).

Tofu Balls (adapted from Moosewood Restaurant)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp ground fennel
• 3/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• scant 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tsp tamari soy sauce
• 16 oz extra firm organic tofu 
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and oil the paper lightly.
2. Saute the garlic, onion, and carrot in the olive oil for 10 minutes, until tender.  
3. Add in the basil, fennel, and oregano, and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, beat the egg.  Then, add in the bread crumbs, pumpkin seeds, rosemary, Dijon, sesame oil, and soy sauce.  Stir.  Then, add in the mixture you sauteed.  Stir until very well combined.
5. Drain the tofu and then mash it in a separate bowl with a fork until you have small crumbles.
6. Add the tofu to the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
7. Form the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.
8. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the outside.

Everyone's all lined up for the oven!

Golden brown, crispy exterior.

Say tofu!

Glamor shot.  Look at all those yummy, nutritious bits and pieces inside.

Now, I'm curious to try these tofu balls at Moosewood and see how mine compare.  I did make a few changes to the recipe based on what I had in my kitchen.  For example, I substituted pumpkin seeds for the walnuts and rosemary for the parsley originally called for in the recipe.  Hopefully, the restaurant's tofu balls (or some variant) will show up on the menu at some point!  ...I will be stalking Moosewood's website/daily menus for this...